Beyond Paradise

When they said "Beyond" Paradise. I didn't know it would be completely different. I like a good Ole Cozy murder mystery. I know in real life murder is the most horrible thing. But Agatha Christie, Matlock, Murder She wrote, Death in Paradise are fun fake murder mysteries. That is what I love about them not too serious and fun acting and fun mystery.

I don't care about thefts of paintings and such. It's sooooooo not what I loved about Death in Paradise and its definitely no fun to have serious stories of not being able to have a baby... why? Why would you put in such a serious story line? It just makes Humphrey sad and it's not fun. Oh well just my opinion.

We cannot help but compare this series to Death in Paradise. DiP instantly showed its core identity and we were hooked. It was crime-solving with true friendship, joviality, trusted teammates and likeable characters. We enjoyed them in their off-time as if we were part of their merry making. The writers achieved a unique and tight balance; well written and a pleasure to watch, season after season.

I just finished season 1 of Beyond Paradise. I am disappointed at the product that has been delivered to a pre-existing captive audience! It struggles to find its identity: Is it a comedy, a comedy/drama or just a dark drama? BP has few likeable characters, it is thin on comedy. We want DI Goodman to be clumsy and endearing, to excel in his work and enjoy a home life - the formula we loved. Instead he is living a sad undercurrent at home. He has no reprieve from sleuthing. The best supporting character was supposed to be his fiancee. She instead offers nothing but pain. It is dark and depressing. We did not sign up for a soap opera home life. It distracts from the story and is a major disappointment that does not serve the series or its audience well. I would not be surprised if it is cancelled unless they change tack.

Enjoyable to watch, but please follow some of the examples provided by the original series which is super popular and in season 8. First you have Martha with a cafe or better yet a pub. Use it to develop the characters, give them some more depth and interest, like the ocean-side bar in Death in Paradise.

Directors and writers just tease us with the quirky young policeman and the secretary. In Death in Paradise we get hours of and background about the crazy locals. Why don't they do the same here instead of all that boring IVF, depressing Martha and her bully mother. I can't imagine any couple involved in IVF, when Martha is just opening a cafe and the Humphrey starting a new job at a new precinct. The director is probably male. They've barely unpacked their stuff on a boat around episode 3 and they dive into IVF, plus why is everyone drinking if trying to get pregnant.........save all that stuff for a season 3 or 4. Stick with developing the locale and the locals.

And why Archie? Humphrey is the sweetest, kindest of all the St. Marie detectives, why drag in a super handsome ex for Martha especially the first season. Martha's mother could help with cafe instead of just standing or sitting around doing nothing but criticize her daughter. I feel that any of us fans of the original show could write and direct a 10 times better script than what is being filmed and shown.

I am pleasantly entertained by the comic police investigations by Humphrey and his police team.

However I find myself reaching for my phone every time Martha gets a scene. She is a potentially charming character, but she has somehow been burderned by BBC script writers who scrape the barrel for woeful daytime soap plots.

I cannot guess why the BBC has tried to mix overwrought histrionics with the otherwise comic and light theme of the detective work. This strange conflation of genres rather emphasises that the soap plots are tacked on, and so stand out like a sore thumb.

Perhaps it is BBC social propaganda, or perhaps it is a cast member or film maker who wants to do something more 'worthy' or 'serious'.

Either way it working like a reverse romance where I am rooting for Humphrey to find another girlfriend (or script writer).

This is a lovely gentle series of local 'whodunnit' crimes set in a rural village in Devon. The countryside and aerial coast photography is gorgeous, will definitely encourage more tourism! Kris Marshall is as good as ever, continuing his 'bumbling genius' detective role from Death in Paradise. The support cast are wonderful, the local accents are delightful to hear, and the stories are interesting and varied, without murder and other gruesome crimes. The humour is wry and amusing, I think, and it's just a lovely comfortable show to watch, especially for those of us from the 'colonies' hankering for our British entertainment, rather than the usual brash American stuff.